Five people have died in Louisiana after contracting flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio vulnificus this year, as state health officials warn residents about a rise in severe infections linked to coastal water exposure
The Louisiana Department of Health said in a statement on Aug. 6 that the deaths were among nine cases reported in state residents so far in 2026. All nine patients were hospitalized. The statement said that residents need to “take precautions” to protect themselves from infections.
Vibrio vulnificus can enter the body through an open wound exposed to salt or brackish water and can cause rapidly progressing wound or bloodstream infections. Severe cases may require intensive care or amputation, and about one in five people infected with Vibrio vulnificus dies, sometimes within one or two days of becoming ill, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“All nine cases reported this year were associated with wounds exposed to seawater, and all patients had underlying health conditions,” the Louisiana health department said
The state’s current count is above its recent average. During the same months over the previous 10 years, Louisiana recorded an average of one death and seven cases. The bacteria are found in greater numbers from May through October as water temperatures rise, the CDC said
About a dozen Vibrio species can cause vibriosis in humans. The species most often associated with illness in the United States include Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, and Vibrio alginolyticus. People most commonly become infected by eating raw or undercooked shellfish, particularly oysters, or when an open wound comes into contact with coastal water
Common symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. Wound infections can cause redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration, and drainage. Bloodstream infections can cause fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions
Louisiana health officials urged anyone whose wound becomes red, swollen, painful, warm, or discolored after exposure to salt or brackish water to seek medical care immediately and tell the provider about the water exposure
Vibrio infections have also been reported elsewhere along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Florida has recorded 14 Vibrio vulnificus cases and two deaths in 2026, according to the Florida Department of Health. Mississippi reported two Vibrio vulnificus cases this year, according to the state’s health department.
In 2023, the CDC documented severe or fatal Vibrio vulnificus infections in Connecticut, New York, and North Carolina during a period of unusually warm coastal waters. The Mobile County Health Department in Alabama has reported 10 cases of vibriosis this year.
